Russian Imperial Easter Egg Sets Auction Record of $30.2 Million

Fabergé's Winter Egg, once a royal gift, has set a new record for the highest price ever paid for a work by the Russian jeweler.

The Easter egg named Winter Egg, which was ordered by Tsar Nicholas II as a gift for his mother, Empress Maria Feodorovna, on Easter 1913, was sold in a three-minute auction at Christie's in London on December 2.

The Winter Egg's starting bid at auction was £17 million. In the end, the Easter egg sold for $30.2 million. This is the highest price ever paid for a work by Russian jeweler Peter Carl Fabergé at auction.

The Easter egg, called the Winter Egg, was recently auctioned for $30.2 million. Photo: Wiktor Szymanowicz/Future Publishing via Getty Images.

The previous record belonged to the Rothschild Egg, which sold at Christie's London in 2007 for £8.9 million (about $11.7 million today).

The gifting of Fabergé eggs was a tradition of the Romanov royal family, initiated by Tsar Alexander III, who gave a Fabergé egg to his wife, Empress Maria Feodorovna, every year from 1885. Tsar Nicholas II continued the tradition after ascending the throne in 1894.

According to documents, Faberge only crafted 50 eggs and the Winter Egg is one of seven privately owned while the others are unknown or owned by museums and organizations. Each egg takes about a year to design and craft.

The Winter Egg is made of crystal quartz and resembles a block of frosted ice, decorated with snowflakes made of platinum and 4,500 diamonds. Inside is a basket of miniature anemones made of white quartz, jade and garnet.

The Winter Egg was designed by a female jeweler named Alma Pihl. According to an invoice published by Christie's, Tsar Nicholas II bought this Easter egg for 24,600 rubles.

Readers are invited to watch the video : Witness the "treasure mountain" filled with gold and precious stones of Russia.

Source: https://khoahocdoisong.vn/qua-trung-phuc-sinh-cua-hoang-gia-nga-lap-ky-luc-dau-gia-302-trieu-usd-post2149073606.html